The renovation of one of the world’s most famous museums, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, is nearly complete. Home to masterpieces by Vermeer, Rembrandt and Rietveld, the museum went through a ten-year period of rebuilding and restoration, led and supervised by the Spanish firm Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos. When it re-opens on April 13th, the museum will get the chance to show off its state-of-the-art LED lighting system created by Philips, which is specially designed to mimic the color of natural daylight.

The Seville, Spain-based firm Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos, who won the international design competition for the expansion in 2001, have transformed the old 19th century building into a modern exhibition facility. They have recreated the layout designed by the museum’s original architect, Pierre Cuypers, and added a new stand-alone pavilion for Asian art. The collection will be presented in a chronological sequence across four separate floors, telling the story of the Netherlands from the Middle Ages and Renaissance to the 21st century. More than 30 galleries will be dedicated to the 17th century Golden Age. French interior architect, Jean-Michel Wilmotte, known for his work at the Louvre, was entrusted with the furnishings and the interior color scheme of the renovated building.

The €375 million renovation project includes a state-of-the-art LED lighting system created by Philips. It will illuminate over 7,500 artefacts across 9,500 square meters of exhibition space. Philips used lights with neutral tones to provide an effect similar to natural daylight which allows for a high definition viewing of the artwork. The entire system consists of ¾ of a million LEDs, including 3,800 LED spots and more than 1.8 kilometers of ceiling LED lighting, all controlled via a mobile application operated by the museum staff.